Vehicle door handle assembly

Abstract

A door handle assembly for a vehicle includes a housing, a handle, and a compression mechanism. The handle is rotatably attached to the housing and rotatable between a resting position and a depressed position. The compression mechanism is configured to allow rotation of the handle between the resting position and the depressed position. The compression mechanism includes a plunger and a biasing member. The plunger is coupled to one of the housing or the handle and translatable between a first position when the handle is in the resting position and a second position when the handle is in the depressed position. The biasing member is coupled to one of the housing or the handle and configured to bias the plunger between the first position and the second position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A door handle assembly for a vehicle, the door handle assembly comprising:
 a housing; 
 a handle rotatably attached to the housing and rotatable between a resting position and a depressed position; and 
 a compression mechanism configured to allow rotation of the handle between the resting position and the depressed position, the compression mechanism comprising:
 a plunger coupled to the housing and translatable between a first position when the handle is in the resting position and a second position when the handle is in the depressed position; 
 a damper secured to the plunger and engaged with the handle, wherein the plunger includes a central bore, and the damper is disposed in the central bore; and 
 a biasing member coupled to the housing and configured to bias the plunger between the first position and the second position, the biasing member defining a central cavity, and a portion of the damper and a portion of the plunger extending into the central cavity. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The door handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the handle extends from a proximal end to a distal end, and the handle is rotatably attached to the housing at a location closer to the proximal end than the distal end. 
     
     
       3. The door handle assembly of  claim 2 , wherein, when the handle is in the depressed position, the handle at or near the distal end urges the plunger to the second position and the biasing member to a compressed position. 
     
     
       4. The door handle assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the handle is configured to rotate from the resting position to the depressed position by a user exerting a force upon the handle at or near the distal end. 
     
     
       5. The door handle assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the handle is configured to rotate to an extended position where the handle is spaced from the plunger by a user exerting a force upon the handle at or near the proximal end. 
     
     
       6. The door handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein, when the handle is in the resting position, an outer surface of the handle is substantially parallel to an outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
       7. The door handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the compression mechanism further includes a plunger housing coupled to the housing and configured to receive the plunger and the biasing member. 
     
     
       8. The door handle assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the plunger housing includes at least one tab and the housing includes at least one slot configured to receive the at least one tab to secure the plunger housing to the housing. 
     
     
       9. The door handle assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the handle is rotatable about a first axis and the biasing member is compressible along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. 
     
     
       10. A compression mechanism for allowing rotation of a handle between a resting position and a depressed position, the compression mechanism comprising:
 a plunger adjacent the handle and translatable between a first position when the handle is in the resting position and a second position when the handle is in the depressed position; 
 a damper secured to the plunger and engaged with the handle, wherein the plunger includes a central bore, and the damper is disposed in the central bore; and 
 a biasing member adjacent the plunger and compressible between a third position when the handle is in the resting position and a fourth position when the handle is in the depressed position, the biasing member defining a central cavity, and a portion of the damper and a portion of the plunger extending into the central cavity. 
 
     
     
       11. The compression mechanism of  claim 10 , further comprising a plunger housing configured to receive the plunger and the biasing member. 
     
     
       12. The compression mechanism of  claim 10 , wherein the biasing member compresses from the third position to the fourth position by the plunger exerting a force upon the biasing member. 
     
     
       13. A method for operating a door handle assembly for a vehicle, the method comprising:
 exerting a first force upon a distal end of a handle in a resting position to move the distal end toward the vehicle so the handle is in a depressed position; and 
 removing the first force upon the distal end of the handle to allow the handle to return to a resting position; 
 wherein the movement of the handle is enabled by a compression mechanism comprising:
 a plunger adjacent the handle and translatable between a first position when the handle is in the resting position and a second position when the handle is in the depressed position; 
 a damper secured to the plunger and engaged with the handle, wherein the plunger includes a central bore, and the damper is disposed in the central bore; and 
 a biasing member adjacent the plunger and compressible between a third position when the handle is in the resting position and a fourth position when the handle is in the depressed position, the biasing member defining a central cavity, and a portion of the damper and a portion of the plunger extending into the central cavity. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising exerting a second force upon a proximal end of the handle to move the handle toward an extended position. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising applying a second force upon the distal end while moving the distal end toward the vehicle, the second force being opposite the first force.